


Nugs and Kisses

by DivideWalker



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: 'Hero of Ferelden' was a dick, Brash Inquistior, F/F, I don't do slow, Like Dark Ritual and Chronic Backstabbing Disorder levels of dickery, Mage Inquisitor FTW, Mages FTW, Romance by like chapter 4, Will feature Nuggalopes, fast burn, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-24 12:53:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8372965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivideWalker/pseuds/DivideWalker
Summary: For the most part, Leliana had never pictured herself in a relationship. After being stabbed in the back by the so-called 'Hero of Ferelden', she had a distinct lack of trust in most people. Yet since Divine Justinia V's Conclave exploded and a mage fell out of a rift, the once person who was proving herself to be capable of saving the world was also proving herself to be the best example of humanity she had ever seen. It helped that she was easy on the eyes and liked nugs.





	1. First Sighting of a Nightingale

**Author's Note:**

> So, Leliana. That one character people always love. Too bad you can only romance her in DA:O. But, being a hardcore Inquisition fan, I decided that she deserves some Inquisitor loving. Namely, female mage Trevelyan loving. Because why not? It’ll be cute. Big nugs. Hooray! That, and don’t expect me to follow the script. I’m too lazy to constantly reference the script for dialogue. Besides, it’s not fun if you use the script.

No one thing could possibly annoy someone more than waking up a prisoner and being interrogated, all the while a magical mark on one’s hand flares up and causes immense pain. This hadn’t been the day that Victoria Trevelyan, mage of the now-dissolved Circle of Ostwick, had pictured when she went to attend Divine Justinia V’s Conclave the previous day. She also hadn’t pictured having to seal holes in the Veil using the aforementioned magical mark, fighting demons, or even getting knocked unconscious. What really sealed the _this is bullshit_ setting was going from the ‘Murderer of the Divine’ to ‘Herald of Andraste’ in about a day. She even said as much to Varric.

She would have continued on her way to the Chantry, had she not heard muttered prayers emanating from a nearby tent. Peeking in, she spotted Leliana kneeling and praying. She hadn’t really thought of Leliana as being the one to sit around and pray, even though the spymaster was the Left Hand of the Divine. Yet here she was, muttering away with “Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just. Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow. In their blood, the Maker’s will is written.”

It concerned Victoria to hear the next lines, worry and fear etched in every word. “Is that what you want from us? Blood? To die so that Your will is done? Is death Your only blessing?” And so Leliana turned to the nearest person, that being Victoria. “You speak for Andraste, no? What does the Maker’s prophet have to say about all of this? What’s His game?” It was the tone, combined with her words, that had Victoria concerned for Leliana.

“I’m just as confused right now as you are.” Came the earnest reply from Victoria. She really didn’t know what to say to Leliana at the moment.

The spymaster huffed and stood up. “The Chantry teaches that the Maker abandoned us. He demands repentance for our sins. He demands it all. Our lives. Our deaths. Justinia gave Him everything she had, and He let her die!”

Victoria was taken slightly aback, but that gave her the right words to say. She laid her hand on Leliana’s shoulder in a show of support, speaking in a low, earnest tone. “I’m sorry. Her death must have hit you hard.” Leliana’s face softened a bit, but she continued anyways.

“If the Maker doesn’t intervene to save the best of His servants, what good is He? I used to believe I was chosen, just as some say you are. Once, I was sure I died. I _did_ die. Who else but the Maker could’ve resurrected me? But if he didn’t save me to help the Divine, then why? Why am I still alive?”

Victoria’s face was twisted in shock. “Wait. You died!?”

She could see Leliana’s face drop. “It was right there at the temple by the Urn of Sacred Ashes. We found the urn, proved the legends were true. But the Hero of Ferelden corrupted them, and all I wanted at that moment was vengeance. It was a fight I couldn’t win. But I didn’t care. And the ‘Hero’ stuck me down. I awoke later in agony. The ashes were gone. I can’t explain how I survived.”

Of all the responses Leliana was prepared for, there was no way she could have foreseen the Herald deciding to spin her around and wrap her in a hug. She was absolutely shocked, unable to truly react. It was Victoria’s words that pulled her from her reverie. “It’s alright Leliana. I would never turn my back on my friends. If it helps, I’ll give the ‘Hero’ a little stab if I ever meet him.”

The spymaster sighed and pulled herself from Victoria’s grip. “I shouldn’t have let you see me like this. Such weakness.” Even though her back was turned and her focus was elsewhere, she still caught the farewell words from the Herald.

“It’s not a weakness to feel, Leliana.”


	2. Concerns over Redcliffe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events at Redcliffe are in the past, and the support of the mage rebellion has been secured. The Breach is only a short strike away from being closed, so where's the Herald? She's been depressed since Redcliffe, and hasn't left her cabin. Even Varric's jokes and Dorian's personality haven't snapped her out of it, so the spymaster takes it upon herself to go see what's wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how to pace this, so expect random time skips and a lot of just random fluff, because I’m better at doing one-off stories. Anyways, I felt that the Herald should have been impacted a hell of a lot harder by Redcliffe than they were in game. So, here we have Leliana stuck dealing with a depressed Victoria. Oh how fun this should be, considering Leli here is only partially softened.

Ever since Victoria had returned from Redcliffe, Leliana had actually been concerned. Mainly in that the aforementioned mage had scarcely left her cabin. Dorian, the Tevinter mage, had pulled her aside and told her about what happened at Redcliffe. Her friends, Iron Bull and Varric had sacrificed themselves to hold back an army of demons that ended up claiming the world. The Breach had swallowed the entire sky, and rifts were open across Thedas. Empress Celene dead and the world in chaos, and her friends captured and infected with Red Lyrium. The entire world that Victoria knew had been ripped apart.

With a hint of trepidation, Leliana left her tent and walked towards the cabin occupied by the most important person in the Inquisition. She had no idea why she was so concerned about the Herald’s wellbeing; she just needed to get her out in the field again. The Herald needed to keep working towards the goal of closing the breach, that was all. So why was it that Leliana found herself legitimately concerned with making sure Victoria was okay? It wasn’t as though she had the time to ponder on that at the moment, unless she wanted to look like a stalker, standing outside the door. That, and she was sure that Varric would make a joke about it. So in she went, the candles currently out and the only light source being the fireplace Victoria was staring into. Varric muttered something and shut the door on his way out, going to write more on one of his books.

Victoria, for her part, seemed to barely acknowledge that the door had been used, vibrant blue eyes dulled to simply being mirrors for the fire before her. Her hair was reduced to hanging about her head in messy strands, partially hiding the dried streaks across her cheeks. Dark circles hung under her eyes, a testament to the lack of sleep she had been receiving. A half-empty mug sat nearby, along with a hardly-touched plate of food. Her head jerked as she heard a chair scratch along the rock floors, looking up to watch Leliana sit down next to her in front of the fire. Both of them stared back into the flickering flames, neither one sure of what to say. The shadows from the windows slowly made their way across the floor, and Leliana finally decided to say something.

“Herald? Is there something bothering you?”

She hadn’t been expecting the half-scathing, half-desperate laugh that Victoria gave off. The fire’s intensity flared up momentarily, a testament to the link between a mage’s powers and emotions. Even more unexpected was the laugh fading into light sobbing. Even though no words had been spoken by the mage, Leliana had a feeling she knew what was wrong. Though Dorian had told her what had _happened_ at Redcliffe, nobody in Haven had stopped to consider how those events had affected Victoria. Her friends had _died_ in front of her, and she had been expected to simply accept that and continue on. Evidently, though, it had a harder impact on her than expected. Leliana sighed and stood up, pulling Victoria to her feet and led her to the bed. She sat the Herald down and grabbed the tankard, noting the smell of ale, refilling it from a bottle and bringing it to the woman. Victoria smiled thankfully and downed half of the mug in short order, setting it to the side. After an apparent moment of thinking her decision through, she started talking about Redcliffe.

“…and then we came back to the present. I had to put on a straight face in front of the others, but I just…I can’t forget what I saw there.” Victoria was hunched over now, a blush on her face from drinking two whole bottles of ale. The shadows were now at the point where the sun was evidently down towards night. Leliana herself had ended up having a little bit of ale when Victoria had described what happened to Fiona and the others in the bad future. Being turned into Red Lyrium, having it growing out of one’s body. It was a horrifying thought; one Leliana didn’t want to entertain anymore.

Victoria’s face was also etched with concern, and her hand once again found its way to Leliana’s shoulder. They looked at each other, and Victoria spoke up herself. “I won’t let that happen to you, Leliana.”

That got her to smile. “I’d sacrifice myself again like that. One life for another chance at saving the world? I could never turn down a bargain.”

Victoria immediately turned to shock. “It was still noble, Leliana! Don’t shrug off your heroics.”

They looked into each other’s eyes and broke down laughing. “Okay, I admit that was a bit feely. But my point still stands, Leliana. I’m touched you gave your life for me.”

Another laugh and they stood up together. Leliana turned at a few parting words from Victoria though. “Don’t forget how heroic it was that you did that. It’s touching.”

Leliana smiled back at her. “Alright then, Victoria. Do you think you’ll be okay now?”

A nod was given, and Victoria set her things aside and laid back on the bed. “Have a good rest, Leliana.”

The spymaster nodded, closing the door behind her.


	3. On Haven, On Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haven destroyed by an archdemon and a dragon. The Breach may have been closed, but it's far from over for the Inquisition. While Cullen and Josephine attempt to direct them towards their next step, Leliana has been concerned with finding Victoria. She even left the camp herself to go look. After all, it's a race to find her before roaming Red Templars do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t know what reactions are gonna be like since I wrote these first three chapters in one afternoon. So anyways, have Leliana’s reaction to Haven, and finding Victoria in the snow. You know, because Leliana’s actually concerned over Victoria’s wellbeing now.

Cullen and Josephine were trying to keep away from Leliana as much as possible. The Inquisition’s spymaster was going around asking everybody if they had any clue where Victoria had gone. Last she asked Varric, Iron Bull, and Solas, she had gone to one of the trebuchets to confront the mysterious Elder One. It was extremely out of character for the normally controlled and distant spymaster, and over half the camp was concerned for her wellbeing. She had since stopped and taken to sending her scouts to comb the area, and Leliana herself had disappeared over an hour ago. The rest of the survivors were still on edge, and very wary of making sure they wouldn’t end up being interrogated by the scariest woman in Ferelden, perhaps all of Thedas.

Cullen had been staring at a map, Cassandra had ended up leaning against a tent post, and Josephine was standing near a fire. They had been completely silent up until that point, until they heard a yell. Cullen and Cassandra immediately sprang into action, running in the direction of the yell, swords drawn. They were expecting the absolute worst, that being the Elder One’s forces having found them, but instead they found a very desperate Leliana dragging an unconscious Victoria back to camp. There was an arrow sticking through Leliana’s thigh and Victoria had a sword gash in her shoulder and torso. The two warriors dropped their weapons and ran to help the injured back to the camp.

Two hours and Mother Giselle’s constant worrying found Leliana sitting next to the unconscious Herald, watching over her while sharpening her knives again. She had already relayed how they had been ambushed by a Red Templar patrol on their way back once the spy had found their missing saviour. She had threatened to stab the healers if they tried to separate the two, saying she owed it to the Herald to make sure she stayed safe. Josephine eventually convinced her to put down the knives and let the healers keep them together. So here they were, in the camp outside of Haven’s ruins, trying to heal and figure out what to do next. Leliana was sure the Maker could hear Josephine and Cullen arguing about their next move, Cassandra having given up an hour ago. She watched the two go at it like the ‘Hero’ and Morrigan used to.

“How long have they been going at it?” Leliana was ashamed to say she jumped in her seat- she was slipping- and turned to the voice. Victoria was sitting up slightly in on her bedroll, watching the argument. The spymaster huffed and turned back to watching them.

“If I said more than an hour, would you be disappointed in them?”

“Actually, I was expecting you to be amongst them. Do you know how Chancellor Roderick is doing?”

Leliana shook her head, but she was interrupted by Cole’s appearing. She would really have to step it up with him around. The spirit stayed around long enough to tell them Roderick would live, though he would certainly not be running any marathons due to the damage to his lung. He was lucky not to have lost his arm either, but at least the man would live. At that, he walked out the back of the tent, though his shadow didn’t show through the tent wall. Leliana sighed and turned to stare back out the tent.

“Leliana. Are you alright?”

Moments like these made Leliana curse Victoria’s attentiveness. She turned to look at the injured woman, prepared to yell at her for her recklessness, but she found that she couldn’t. So she settled for a normal speaking tone. “We thought you were dead. You told me that I was worth more to people alive. You should know that applies to you as well!”

The Herald wasn’t known for backing down. She met Leliana’s gaze evenly. “At this point? I’m just another body. The Breach is closed, my mark isn’t needed anymore.” She immediately regretted her words though, watching Leliana flinch back like that. It was obvious to Victoria that she had struck a sensitive topic, something the spymaster felt strongly about.

“You can’t just throw your worth away like that! I- The Inquisition needs you. You can’t give up hope now.” Leliana looked away at that, trying to hide her blush at having slipped up like that. Luckily for her, Victoria either didn’t notice or didn’t want to say anything about it. She just sighed and placed a hand on Leliana’s knee, looking up at her.

“Alright, I won’t go throwing myself away like that again. I promise.”

Leliana smiled and looked at the Herald’s vibrant eyes. They both stood up and walked to the opening of the tent. The two silently watched Mother Giselle walk past them, starting to sing.

_“Shadows fall…and hope has fled…”_


	4. Show Your Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skyhold is everything the Inquisition could have needed. With Victoria as the new Inquisitor, everything has been moving along perfectly. It's been a month since she departed for the Exalted Plains, and one of Leliana's crows brought a letter from the Inquisitor signaling her imminent return. At the same time, some new mounts were being brought to Skyhold's stables, and certain inconsequential thoughts were slicing through Leliana's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Created at about 5am the night after the first three because I can’t stop writing this ship or else I’ll never get anything else done. Anyways, this is going to end up being the reveal chapter because I can. Also because there was probably flirting going on every now and then. Because, you know, time skips and all that. Frame of reference, this takes place about a month after finding Skyhold. The main chain of events in the Exalted Plains (calming the ramparts, accessing the Citadelle, etc.) was just finished and everyone is getting back now. That, and Cullen just finished a certain War Table operation…

It was a weary party that stepped through the gates of Skyhold late that day. Iron Bull waved a weary farewell and stepped off towards the Herald’s Rest. Varric stayed behind in the Great Hall, and Victoria was following Dorian up the steps towards the library. She passed the Tevinter the bag of books they had collected from the Exalted Plains and bid him a good afternoon, continuing the upwards path to Leliana’s rookery. It was a room suited to the shadows the spymaster worked in, filled with hanging cages for the birds she used with only a few desks covered in papers. Leliana herself was simply sitting at her desk, going over some papers. Well, she had been, until she saw the Inquisitor walk up the stairs. She put her quill down and stood up, knowing without words that there was a war table meeting about to occur. Sure, there was a bell system to get the advisors’ attentions, but Victoria always seemed to want to get Leliana herself.

The meeting didn’t last long, Victoria simply accepting their reports and having them work on other matters. She read over Leliana's report twice for some reason, examined Josephine’s report, and got to Cullen’s. Her eyes scanned the bottom lines and she started giggling to herself. She waved the advisors away and started heading off. Cullen and Josephine passed her quickly, but she grabbed Leliana’s shoulder as the spy tried to pass. Victoria raised a finger to her lips and just told her to follow, and so Leliana obliged. The two walked silently through Skyhold, detouring to the lower halls and exiting near the stables. Dennet spotted the Inquisitor walking over and flagged her down. A short, whispered exchange was had, and the horsemaster walked back into his barn.

“Come on Leliana, inside the barn. I have a…well, a surprise gift for you.” Was all the Inquisitor said before walking into the place. Blackwall was sitting in the corner staring at Skyhold’s newest arrivals, likely wondering just what to make of the new mounts. Lined against the wall were five massive nugs of varying colours. Four of them seemed to have names, but the fifth didn’t. Victoria was holding a plaque, though, and once it was placed, all five had names. She turned around with a big smile on her face, waving her arm to the other four. “Go ahead Leliana. I know you like nugs, so pick one out.”

The spymaster was speechless. Nobody had ever done something like this without asking for something in return. Yet a nagging voice at the back of her head told her that Victoria wasn’t that kind of person, that she had nothing to fear. It was also her internal talking that had her stopping at a yellow nuggalope, the very name on the plaque making her laugh. “Okay then, _Tiddles Majoris_ , it looks like you have a new rider.”

Victoria smiled. “So I can assume this was the right gift?”

Leliana’s smile told it all; she was actually happy for once. Her smile faltered slightly, however, uncertainty crossing her face. “And what is it you want in return?”

It looked as if Victoria had been slapped in the face, though she hid it better than most Orlesian nobles did and adopted a coy grin. “Can’t I just give a gift to someone I lo-like?”

Subtle, and covered up, but Leliana caught what she was going to say. She gave Victoria a soft, non-hostile look, walking over to her. In the corner, Blackwall stood up and walked out, not wanting to be intruding. On the Inquisitor’s part, she had leaned up against a post and closed her eyes, currently berating herself internally. She didn’t see, but she felt a shadow cross over her face. Victoria opened her eyes and looked up, vibrant blue locking with dull blue. Leliana looked rather touched emotionally, her face softer than normal. They both stood there silently, unsure of what to say. Finally, the spymaster spoke up. “There’s a clearing southwest of here, between two of the mountains. Meet me out there.”

With that, Leliana walked away, presumably towards said location. Victoria hesitated for almost half an hour before going after her.

Night fell rather quickly once Victoria reached the final path to the clearing. She stepped out from a rock crevice and saw Leliana standing, facing away from her, the light of the moon completely illuminating her. For her part, Victoria walked over and stood behind her shoulder unsure of what to say or do. For her part though, she had to do nothing. Leliana started talking of her own accord, going through her life history and experiences. Even her condensed version lasted the better part of an hour, and Victoria slowly transitioned from a hand on the shoulder to a full hug through the tale. Once it was finished, Leliana sighed and tore herself away from the Inquisitor.

“You see, Inquisitor? I don’t trust anyone after that. I…I shouldn’t have even told you all of that.” She was slowly walking towards the exit, her speed increasing with each word. “I should go…” she muttered, shifting to take off running.

“Wait!” came Victoria’s cry, reaching out and grabbing the spy’s wrist. The effort to hold her back, combined with a convenient tree root, caused Leliana to trip. And since Victoria still had her arm in a vice grip, it made the Inquisitor topple over as well, landing on top of her spymaster. The two floundered for a moment, brushing dirt and hair from their faces. Once they stopped, though, both realised just what positions they were in. Leliana found herself looking up into Victoria’s eyes, her brain currently struggling to process it. She struggled with what to do before instinct overrode any logical thought. Her eyes started to close involuntarily, her arms shifting to make her lean up. Vaguely, before her eyes shut entirely, she could see Victoria doing the same thing. Their lips met in the middle.

Leliana had never felt more at peace in her life, lost in the soft warmth of Victoria’s lips. She felt a hand lightly caress her cheek, and she wrapped one of her own hands around the back of the Inquisitor’s head. Every thought in her head had frozen in place, and she let those drift away. It felt right, and now Leliana was wondering why she hadn’t kissed Victoria sooner. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the cold bite of the Frostback air had faded into the background. Their lips separated and she found her eyes were lost in the Inquisitor’s. Victoria reached a hand up and gently brushed a lock of hair out of Leliana’s face. She was happy with herself, not wanting the moment to end.

Annoying thoughts of doubt were coming back to Leliana’s head, so she decided to just eliminate those by kissing Victoria again. Peace hit her mind once more.


	5. Stress Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tension at Skyhold now that everyone is settled in has people gloomier than usual. Yet the person who one would expect to be the worst of them all is walking around with a smile and a hum. So while the Inquisitor arranges for some new furniture, her other advisers and friends find themselves trying to figure out a mystery of their own while Leliana looks for a peaceful place to hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five, I’m on a roll. This has all gone down in oh, three days? Or was it two? Definitely not more than three. Either way, they’re together now. Done sooner rather than later because I’m not a slow burn kind of person. Anyways, it’s the next week, and some people at Skyhold are noting the change in Leliana’s mood. With Halamshiral and Adamant Fortress looming over their heads, it’s curious why she’s gotten slightly more carefree. But we know why, don’t we?

Josephine finally found a moment to relax, sinking into the chair in her office with a long-suffering sigh. What with the whirl of tailors, mask-makers, and dance instructors for those less culturally-inclined (here she had made special note of Sera) alongside those for etiquette and table manners, she hadn’t had a moment to relax. And yet here was Leliana, strolling through Josephine’s office without a care in the world. It wasn’t as though they were without a source of stress, what with the Orlesian ball at Halamshiral or the whole issue of every Grey Warden hearing the Calling. Before Leliana could pass through the other door, Josephine raised her hand and her voice.

“Leliana. I have a question that I believe you are best suited to answer right now.”

The spymaster turned her head in slight disbelief, as though surprised. “Oh? And what might that be?” she muttered as she strolled over and stood beside one of the chairs in front of the desk. It really was eluding Josephine as to just how Leliana was even able to get solid sleep at night. For her part, Leliana had noticed Josephine’s lack of relaxation and sleep.

Josephine’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I can’t help but wonder how you manage to stay stress-free in these times. I could really use the help.”

The spymaster, for her part, simply smirked, remembering what Victoria had told her about. “If you want to know, go talk to Blackwall about dinner. Alone.”

It took Josephine precisely no time to understand the implications of what Leliana had said, but she paused when she essentially realized that it meant that _Leliana was in a relationship_. Josephine’s jaw dropped and by the time she had composed herself, the spymaster had already left the room. Rather than trying to chase her down, Josephine just sat back and mulled the suggestion over in her head. Blackwall. Perhaps she could give him a chance.

Leliana, for her part, had disappeared to the one place in the castle nobody went. Victoria had given her a key to her quarters, and Leliana had started using that as a place to escape to. The room was currently empty, her lover currently on an excursion to Val Royeaux to pick out some new furniture and other items. Of course, said items had been kept a secret from the spy, though she was actually okay with that. Leliana just walked over and lay down on the Inquisitor’s basic Ferelden bed. It was comfortable, if a bit simplistic. Just a bed. She could wait for a bit, especially if she was waiting for Victoria. The Serault windowpanes created beautiful patterns on the floor, and she could see why the Inquisitor had requested that specific style. The peace was absolute, the open doors granting a breathtaking view of the Frostback Mountains. Surely Victoria wouldn’t mind her sleeping in her for just one night, would she?

Leliana soon found out that one night would lead into seven.

Meanwhile, Josephine and Cassandra were sitting in one of the chairs in Cullen’s office, the commander himself standing behind the desk. All of them were deep in thought, trying to figure out the biggest mystery they had encountered to date, even though it was an innocent one.

“Maker…just who could she be with?”

The very notion that Leliana had found a romantic partner was confusing in and of itself. Even Cassandra, someone who had known Leliana for years during their tenures as the Hands of the Divine, was shocked by this revelation. The little group of thinkers had no clue who it could be. Cassandra was helpful enough to narrow it down to any female who wasn’t a generic soldier. Their thoughts kept them distracted enough to not immediately notice the arrival of a certain Tevinter mage. As such, it was a shock when Dorian spoke and broke their concentration.

“I say, was there a party going on that I wasn’t invited to? Or is this some clandestine meeting? Isn’t that last one Leliana’s job? Oh, wait, this is about her newfound jovial attitude, isn’t it?”

It surprised all of them that Dorian had processed it all so quickly and nonchalantly. Cassandra herself was only able to nod that her was correct, and a grin crossed his face. “Splendid! I always did love solving mysteries. So, who have we narrowed it down to?”

Cullen spoke up first. “Well, it wouldn’t just be any random soldier, she’s the kind of person to need trust and a close bond.”

“And from my time traveling with her, she’s more into women than men.” Came Cassandra’s helpful follow-up.

Josephine filled in the last bit. “And it rather obviously isn’t any of us or the passing nobles. So who does that leave?”

Dorian placed his hand on his chin and looked up. “Well, I know Vivienne doesn’t exactly like romance in general. Sera is…well, Sera. Her and Leliana would never get along. Hmm…have you considered our dear Inquisitor?”

The tension in the room shattered as the pieces clicked in everyone’s heads. Victoria Trevelyan. She fit absurdly well into every requirement. Her and Leliana were close ever since the spy had brought Victoria out of her depression after Redcliffe. It had been Leliana herself who brought Victoria back to them after Haven. And Victoria had been more positive as well, her mood improving at the same exact time as Leliana’s.

The smug look on Dorian’s face was starting to get to everyone involved. “Ah! So it seems we have a suspect. Now all we have to do is catch them together. Or get a confession. Oh, Josie, do you think you could do that at the war table?” The ambassador started stammering, unsure what to say. Dorian, being the smug and sarcastic individual he was, decided to press further. “Or should I crash one of your little meetings for this?”

That snapped Cullen to his senses. “No, Dorian! Absolutely not! I’ll, Maker preserve me, I’ll ask the Inquisitor about it at some point. Alright Dorian, at the next war table meeting.”

The group all nodded and departed.

Of all the things that Victoria had been expecting upon her return to Skyhold, finding Leliana in the bed in her personal quarters was not exactly on the list. Yet here was her lover, red hair splayed out on the pillow, soundly asleep with the blankets pulled up to her neck. The moon wasn’t high enough to be visible yet, but the sun was certainly gone. Since it was late, she simply smiled and sat down to remove her shoes. Once she was dressed down for bed, she crept over and climbed into her bed. Victoria smiled as she slowly shifted close to Leliana, draping an arm over her. Her breath hitched as she felt Leliana jerk awake with a gasp.

“Shh, Leli. It’s me. I’m back from Val Royeaux.”

It took the spymaster’s mind a moment to process the words, but she calmed down. And then she immediately realised that Victoria found her in her own bed. A few comforting whispers calmed her down and she simply got comfortable again, trying to fall asleep. She jerked slightly when Victoria’s arm wrapped back around her, but she calmed quickly and simply let the other woman pull her close. Victoria, for her part, reached up and ran her fingers through Leliana’s hair for a moment before simply tucking her head against the back of Leliana’s head, both of them silently drifting off to sleep.


	6. Quarters and War Rooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another morning at Skyhold leads to more happy moments for the loving couple, and the afternoon brings some events that certain people would want to put out of their minds. Doubtlessly, the news is going to spread throughout all of Thedas by the end of the next month. Neither of the two are in a state of mind to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Six chapters and still going strong-ish. No time skip, unless anyone just wants to see them asleep for hours on end. So, next day dawns. Teasing stuff and fluffy mornings. War Table meeting to occur. And a relationship to make semi-public. Oh how fun this one should be to write. Honestly didn't have the morning scene until the pacing punched me in the face and told me to slow down a bit. Also, I had them do some naughty things off-screen. Because I don't want it on-screen yet.

The sun shining through the Serault glass cast lovely patterns on the floor. It also shined directly into the eyes of one very unhappy Inquisitor Victoria Trevelyan, someone who was not pleased that Leliana was _not_ in her arms right now. Her eyes flicked open and found said spymaster sitting cross-legged on the bed next to her, watching her sleep. Needless to say, Victoria found this rather disturbing, yet also endearing. Either way, it shocked her into full wakefulness that fell rapidly into that special kind of pain that only sunlight in the eyes can bring. Leliana’s soft laughter made it a bit more bearable though, and Victoria found herself grateful for her little spy being there.

Once she blinked the absolute torture of the sun out of her eyes, Victoria couldn’t stop herself from smiling once she sat up. She reached up and pulled Leliana back down on top of her, chuckling and leaning up to kiss the redhead. One turned into three, and eventually the two were just lying there gently kissing each other. It took quite a bit of self-effort, but eventually Leliana managed to lean back far enough for them to stop. Victoria sighed and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She could feel Leliana’s gaze on her back as she stripped out of her nightgown and put on her usual silk brocade outfit. Victoria was silently smirking as she rifled through her drawers for her pants.

“See anything you like, Leli?” was the incredibly teasing remark from Victoria. Leliana’s only response was some soft and unintelligible murmuring, only making the Inquisitor smile more. Once her pants were on, she turned to face the spy who still sat on her bed. “The red of your cheeks really goes well with the red of your hair, Leli.”

Leliana sighed and stood up herself. “Must you nickname me? I have a full name.”

Victoria smiled and wrapped her nightingale in a gentle hug. “It sounds cute.” she whispered into Leliana’s ear as she reached around her back and undid the knot on Leliana’s own nightgown. The spy went redder than the blood she spilled as she started stammering indignantly. Victoria started laughing as she pushed her lover over to the closet that Leliana’s clothes were in. “Go get dressed already, Leli! Maker, you are easy to mess with!”

About five minutes later, the Spymaster joined the Inquisitor in walking downstairs to the banquet hall. The two slipped out of the door to their as-of-now shared quarters and sat down at one of the nearby tables as the food was being placed out. It didn’t take them long to eat, and they decided to simply go fetch the other two advisors themselves instead of ringing the bells. It was a short walk to Cullen’s office, and Josephine was simple enough to have come with them. The door shut behind them with a thud, and they all approached the war table. Cullen and Josephine had taken the lead, and both turned around abruptly to cut off Leliana and Victoria. The Inquisitor looked a bit perturbed, hands placed upon her hips and a certain glint to her eyes. “Cullen. Josephine. What is it?”

Josephine looked a bit nervous, and Cullen seemed to have his face set in stone. The Antivan raised her hand to her mouth, a nervous tic she seemed to have picked up, and looked to Culler. Ex-Templars were not the sort to back down, however, and he crossed his arms over his chest, staring her down. He was met by an even, unchallenged stare from the Inquisitor he worked for and a bemused look from the spymaster. “I’m just going to get this out of the way. Are you two together?”

Had Cullen taken the time to go through the dossier that they had on Victoria, he would have realised the error he made in that statement. The Inquisitor stared at him with a completely neutral expression for all of five seconds. It only took those five seconds for him to realise that he was going to be receiving an answer very shortly. In short, Victoria Trevelyan was the ‘stupid question, stupid answer’ kind of person. From the instant she heard the question, she knew that her friends had figured out her relationship. So, she figured honesty was the best policy. She could feel Leliana's hesitation, though it didn’t stop her from grabbing the spymaster’s shoulders, spinning the woman so they were facing each other, and kissing her deeply.

“Maker’s breath!”

“Oh my word!”

Leliana had given up and just let the kiss happen, her perception of the outside world slipping away. Victoria was pressing down a bit further, one hand slipping around the back of Leliana’s head. Both Cullen and Josephine were standing off to the side, both of them trying to avert their gaze. Shortly, however, they broke their kiss and looked to the other two. Cullen was staring down a marker over the Exalted Plains like he could shatter it with a glance, and Josephine seemed to be tracing out trade routes centred in Antiva City.

Without looking up from the war table, Cullen spoke. “So. To work, then?”

It took them almost an hour to settle the issues at hand, but once the meeting was over Cullen all but ran from the war room. Josephine looked between the two before scurrying off herself, muttering something about Blackwall, the Grey Wardens, and Adamant Fortress. That left Leliana standing on one side of the war table and Victoria on the other side. With a rather large grin on her face, the Inquisitor slowly circled around the table until she was standing behind Leliana, the spy remaining still to see just what her lover was going to do.

With a flick of Victoria’s wrist, the door-bars on the chamber doors slid into the locked position. That done, she spun Leliana around and pulled her into a hug, starting off simply kissing her. The two slowly shifted closer and closer to the table until the Inquisitor pushed her lover back onto the table. They pulled their heads apart long enough to both simply nod their heads before reconnecting their lips as Victoria reached up and pulled Leliana’s cowl down, the spymaster starting to undo the Inquisitor’s shirt. Neither of them paid any mind to the sun slowly passing across the floor, and it was a few hours before the two left the room in a state that had them moving quickly back to Victoria’s quarters.

With another wave of her hand, Victoria ignited the candles around her bedroom to provide illumination for the two as they both settled on the couch, both reading through books they had picked out. As the moon rose across the sky, they eventually put those away and both got ready for another night spent in each other’s arms. Leliana looked at the various nightgowns she owned before deciding to eschew the article of clothing in remembrance of their earlier activities. It quickly became apparent that Victoria had the same mind-set, though Leliana didn’t mind one bit. The two simply laid down under the silk bed sheets in the exact same position as last night. Victoria grinned as she slipped her hand across Leliana’s bare stomach, her other arm angling so she could run her fingers through her lover’s hair. A smile and a gentle kiss on the neck was the last thing the two did before succumbing to sleep.


End file.
